


The Baby Squid

by motherofmercury



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adorable, Awkward, Cute, F/M, Fluff, SO FLUFFY, awkward fluff, baby giant squid, can't even flirt they're so awkward, newt just wants his squid to be okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 20:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16794031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/motherofmercury/pseuds/motherofmercury
Summary: The tale of how the giant squid came to live in the Black Lake; featuring Newton Scamander and his fellow Hufflepuff, Robyn.  Who knew such a formidable creature started out as something so adorable?





	The Baby Squid

Robyn hurried down the corridor, pulling her frizzy brown hair into a quick ponytail to keep it off her face. She rounded the corner into the entrance hall and came to an abrupt halt upon seeing her fellow Hufflepuff - Newton Scamander - pacing the length of the wall in front of the door to the Great Hall.

"N-newt?" she asked hesitantly. 

The boy swung around in fright and stumbled backwards into the Great Hall's doors, shoving them open violently. He yelped and scrambled to pull the doors closed again, but it was too late; Robyn had seen the man-sized water tank and the eye the size of a teacup. She took several steps sideways along the entrance hall, her back to the wall opposite the Great Hall.

"What is _that_?" Robyn asked incredulously, "and how on _earth_ did you get it into the school?!"

"I- I-" Newt stumbled over his words and kept looking back and forth between Robyn and that _creature_ as if he couldn't decide which was more important. "I-it's a squid," he finally got out. "A baby squid."

Robyn took a cautious step towards Newt and Newt took a step back towards the squid. "That's a _baby_ squid?" she whispered.

"W-well, she's a- a few weeks old now. S-she grows so fast." Newt turned towards the tank and gazed at the giant eye lovingly.

"How big was she when you got her?" Robyn had finally built up enough confidence to take a few more cautious steps towards Newt while he was gazing at the squid.

"Small as a t-tadpole." Newt smiled tenderly and the gentle expression with such love and adoration for the creature melted Robyn's heart.

"How did no one find her and what is she doing down here?" Robyn asked with concern. Now that she was certain the creature wasn't going to hurt her and Newt wasn't going to run away, she felt almost sorry for the poor squid, clearly in a tank too small for her. It must be horrible to be trapped inside what was effectively a glass cage.

Newt turned back to her warily, "you won't tell anyone, will you Robyn?" his stutter was gone for a moment and his hazel-green eyes bore into Robyn's own greenish ones from the now small distance that separated them, "I-I don't know w-what they'd do to her," he turned back to his squid and gently stroked the top of the tank.

Robyn took a few more steps until she was finally standing next to Newt and she put her hand on top of the tank next to his. The tank was cold and slightly damp and the water didn’t look very clean. “We need to get her out of here.”

Newt looked back at Robyn – who was a tiny bit shorter than he – and a radiant smile broke out on his face, “you’ll help? Le-” he paused and started again, “a-a friend was supposed to come but they d-didn’t show,” his face fell again and he looked at the squid sadly.

Robyn hated that expression on Newt’s face. Someone as gentle and loving as him shouldn’t be able to express such pain and misery. It wasn’t right. “Where were you going to take her?” Robyn asked determinedly.

“I-I-” Newt was suddenly very self-conscious again and he looked down at his brown shoes and shuffled his feet a bit, wringing his hands. “I was g-going to take her t-to the B-Black L-L-Lake.”

Robyn’s face lit up and she made an exclamation of joy, “that’s a brilliant idea! She’ll be completely free, and there’ll be plenty for her to eat!”

“R-really?” Newt smiled down at Robyn shyly.

“Yes! Okay-” Robyn ran over to the corridors and looked up and down each staircase until she was satisfied no one was coming. “Quickly, levitate the tank,” she said to Newt.

His face fell suddenly again and stammered out, “I- I’m no g-good at C-C-Charms.”

“That’s okay,” Robyn said softly, walking back over to him and giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She was surprised by how muscular his shoulder felt underneath his robes, despite his scrawny, lanky frame. “Go open the doors.”

Newt ran over to the doors and started pulling out the bolt as Robyn pulled her wand out of her pocket and quickly whispered “Wingardium Leviosa,” watching in satisfaction as the tank began to hover just above the ground. She carefully directed her wand towards the doors that Newt was hurriedly pushing open and the tank – thankfully – levitated towards them. 

Newt jumped to the side as the tank hovered through the door just in front of Robyn, and he quickly pulled the doors shut behind him as he followed. “Be c-careful!” he called as Robyn levitated the tank down the stairs and across the grass to the Black Lake, a little bit of water sloshing out the top of the tank.

“Sorry,” Robyn said sincerely as Newt caught up with her. “Should I lower the tank straight into the Lake?” she asked dubiously.

“Um,” Newt thought hard for a moment, “I think t-that would be b-best.”

“Okay,” Robyn bit her lip in concentration as they finally came to the water’s edge. She directed the tank a fair way out over the water so that she could fully submerge it and so that any unsuspecting students wouldn’t come across what looked like a glass coffin while they were swimming. Newt watched as Robyn lowered the tank into the water.

Robyn released the charm and they both just stood there, waiting. For what, exactly, they weren’t too sure.

After a minute of intent lake staring, the pair finally saw a few tentacles waving above the water. The baby squid was finally free. Newt grabbed Robyn’s hand and they both let out a breath they hadn’t realised they were holding. Robyn looked sideways at Newt and let out a laugh of relief.

Newt smiled and turned to Robyn, intense happiness and gratitude shining in his face. Before he could fully process what he was doing, he leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. Then he flushed a brilliant scarlet that swallowed up all his freckles and he looked down awkwardly, quickly letting go of her hand. “Thank you,” he mumbled.

Robyn felt her smile growing wider and she gently reached over and took Newt’s hand again. It was cold, and shaking ever-so-slightly. Robyn gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance and turned back to the Lake, saying, “you’re welcome.”

Newt looked back out over the Lake too. The pair stood there quietly, hand in hand, imagining their baby squid playing in the water. Little did they know that their baby squid would grow up to become one of the more enticing legends of Hogwarts Castle.

As they stood there, butterflies abounded in Robyn’s stomach from the new sensation of Newt’s cold hand in hers. Or perhaps – Robyn laughed quietly to herself – perhaps, they were baby squid.


End file.
